


Security

by just_a_hungry_author



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Security Blanket, Security Item, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:02:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22258411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_hungry_author/pseuds/just_a_hungry_author
Summary: Peter Parker owns a hot pink hoodie. Can Tony figure out why?
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 218





	Security

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of crap buttttt I'm posting it anyway. Thanks in advance for reading!

As a child, lots of people have security items. 

Things to make them feel better and safer. 

Most people abandon these things once they hit twelve or thirteen years old. 

On the other hand, some never do. 

Seventeen year old Peter Parker owned a hot pink hoodie. 

It had a brand name written in black across the chest, and matching black stripes around the left shoulder.

He barely wore it out in public, and most of the time it stayed packed up inside a box in his closet. 

Almost nobody knew about it because he only wore it when he wanted to be left alone. 

He hadn’t dared tell Tony, let alone any of the other Avengers. 

He hadn’t meant for any of them to see it, but one time, on the way over to the Tower for the weekend, he forgot to take it off. 

Tony almost didn’t notice it at first. 

Granted, it was eight in the morning and he hadn’t slept. 

Peter’s hair was ruffled and he seemed to be trying to bury himself in the hoodie, almost as if he didn’t want to be there.

“Hey kid. You hungry?” 

Peter shook his head, not looking up at Tony. 

It may have been early, and he may have only been running on coffee, but even Tony couldn’t miss how pale Peter was. 

“You alright?” 

“I’m okay.” Peter replied. “Just tired.” 

Tony didn’t like this. 

The first time Peter came to the tower, he talked for almost twenty minutes straight just about the exterior design of the building. 

Even after he’d become more comfortable with the setting, he still talked a million miles a minute. 

But now he’d barely said five words. 

Where was Tony’s normal, excited Peter?

“Why don’t you go sleep for a little bit?” Tony suggested. “I’ve got some work to do anyway.” 

Peter nodded and left to the room he would be staying in, having been there enough to know where it was. 

Tony shook his head, using the early hour as reason for Peter’s odd behavior. 

Mumbling something about “teenagers and their obsession with sleep”, Tony left to his lab. 

Two hours later, Jarvis’ voice chirped from the ceiling. 

“Sir? Mister Parker appears to be unwell. His current temperature is one hundred point four and he’s been in the restroom for over thirty minutes.” 

Tony cursed to himself, rushing to the bathroom closest to Peter’s room. 

After knocking on the door and getting no response, Tony burst inside to find Peter dry heaving. 

“Peter? Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well, bud?” 

“You said you had work to do.” Peter panted. “-Didn’t want to bother you.” 

“This isn’t bothering me.” Tony replied. “Come on, let’s get you back in bed.” 

He led Peter back to his room. 

“You wanna take that hoodie off before you lie down?” 

Peter instinctively crossed his arms, clutching the fabric. 

“No thanks.” He said. “I’m… cold.” 

“Alright, sleep well, kid.”

The next time Tony saw the hoodie, Peter was just coming over to do some work in the lab. 

It had been months since Tony had seen the hot pink pullover on Peter, yet here it was again.

Despite being the genius that he is, he didn’t think anything of it and led Peter down to the lab. 

“I don’t have much for you to do at the moment.” Tony said. “You can do some homework if you want.” 

Peter wordlessly sat down and started on his work, leaving Tony to his. 

Forty five minutes later, Tony thought he heard a sniffle from the other side of the room. 

He ignored it, but then he heard another. 

Then a shaky breath, and then another sniffle. 

Looking over, Tony saw Peter had the sleeves of the hoodie, which went past his hands, pressed into his eyes. 

“Pete?” 

No response. 

“Peter? You okay?” 

Peter took a breath. “Sorry.” 

“What are you sorry for?” 

“For distracting you.” Peter replied. “I should probably just go.” 

“No, you’re gonna sit here and tell me what’s wrong.” 

“I’m just… stressed.” Peter said. “It’s getting to the end of the year and I have a lot of projects and papers, not to mention finals.” 

“Every teenager gets stressed.” Tony replied. “It’s part of the experience.” 

When Peter didn’t say anything, Tony continued. 

“How about this? Pick one assignment to work on. Just one. Work on it for half an hour. After that, we’ll take a break and go get ice cream, okay? Just take it one at a time.” 

Peter smiled and wiped a tear away. 

“Thanks Tony.” 

The next time Tony saw the hoodie, Peter had gone to school with a stomach bug and Tony had to pick him up because May was at work. 

Then when Peter got hurt during a battle and he was wearing it in the med-bay.

Then when he hadn’t eaten all day. 

Eventually Tony figured out that it was a comfort hoodie. 

If Peter was sick, or stressed, or hurt, he wore that hoodie. 

Tony didn’t know why, nor did he need to know why.

If Peter was wearing that hoodie, Tony felt it was his job to fix it. 

After a particularly rough battle, Peter wore the hoodie to the Avengers compound.

Once he was alone, Tony cornered Peter. 

“Alright, what’s up?”

“Nothing, Mister Stark.” 

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice what you’re wearing?” Tony replied. “Spill it.”

Peter looked slightly confused, and Tony realized it was the “what you’re wearing” mention. 

“You’re telling me that I figured it out before you did?” 

“No,” Peter said. “The hoodie is a security thing. But how did you know?” 

“I’m not an idiot.” Tony said, although it literally took him months to figure it out. “Now what’s wrong?” 

“I… I just don’t feel like I belong here, you know? You’re all adults and you’re all so strong and more… stable than I am.” Peter explained. 

“Kid, you’re only seventeen and sometimes you’re the most mature person in this building.” 

“I yelled at Clint for twenty minutes yesterday because he stepped on my LEGO set.” 

“To be fair,” Tony interrupted, “we all found that hilarious.” 

When Peter didn’t smile, Tony continued. 

“No one expects you to be fully mature all the time. I’m not even fully mature all the time.” 

“That’s the understatement of the year.” Peter mumbled. 

“The point is, if you didn’t belong here, you wouldn’t be here. I would have had Friday kick you out a long time ago and cancel your authorization. Don’t worry about fitting in or trying to act mature. Just be yourself, and when your time comes, it’ll come.” 

Just then Clint walked in. “Hey Peter, I wanted to say sorry about yesterday.” 

He then turned around and pulled a large box in from the hall behind him. 

“Here’s an ‘I’m sorry’ present.” 

Peter walked over and opened the box to find it full of Star Wars LEGO sets. 

“Woah!” He exclaimed. “Some of these haven’t even come out yet!” 

“So… I’m sorry?” Clint asked. 

“Apology not accepted.” Peter replied. 

“What?” 

“Unless you help me build these.” 

Clint smiled and sat on the floor with Peter, opening up the first set. 

Tony left the room and came back a few minutes later with snacks and hot chocolate. 

After that night, Tony never saw Peter’s hot pink hoodie again.


End file.
